Review: The White Tiger

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Apart from the fact that it won the Man Booker Prize 2008, a few of my friends deeming it as 'The book you MUST read!' was the main reason I bought this book.

Right from the beginning, the story did manage to keep my attention with the narrative, which I feel is brilliant, but I wasn't entirely convinced on quite a few things. Like Balram killing Ashok. This was the most interesting part of the book which kept me glued till the end. However, when the moment came, it fell flat. Not what I had expected. Given the way Balram thinks about his master all the time, his transition wasn't convincing enough. Maybe my expectations were high. But isn't that the case with Man Booker winners in general?

The best part of this book was its unapologetic tone describing situations and for the major part, it didn't feel like a work of fiction. Balram, though not the best character I've read, will stay with me for some time. Some of the conversations were really amusing to read. I loved the letter-style narrative, which as I've said, is brilliant.

Probably not a great read but a good one definitely. I do not regret the time I spent reading this. I would give it 3.5 out of 5

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